By A. Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has not merely made history by forming government in Maharashtra for the first time in last 54 years but has also recorded to be the first government in the state to have no Muslim minister.
On 1 May 1960, following mass protests and 105 deaths, the separate Marathi-speaking state was formed by dividing earlier Bombay State into the new states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Since then there have been 13 assemblies in the state with the Congress (last three terms in alliance with the NCP) ruling the state on majority of the occasions.
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
For all but current assembly there was at least one Muslim minister in the government. Even at the time of Shiv Sena led government in 1995, when SS was headed by Balasaheb Thakarey, there was one Muslim minister. Late Sabir Shaikh was the cabinet minister in 1995 under SS government who was assigned the portfolio of AUKAF i.e. Waqf property development.
On December 5th BJP once again joined hands with Shiv Sena (SS), but this time as big brother and expanded its cabinet by assigning 10 ministries to SS; taking the overall ministry figure to 30. In this figure of 30 there is no Muslim face. For a fact there is no Muslim MLA in both the parties that had fielded negligible Muslim candidates in the recently concluded elections but could have assigned minority development ministry to at least one Muslim face and made him MLC.
Political observers feel that if the BJP wanted to include a Muslim in its ministry then it could have copied from central government that assigned minority ministry to Dr. Najma Heptullah who is MP in Rajya Sabha and not in the Lok Sabha.
Presently the minority development portfolio along with AUKAF is held by BJP MLA Eknath Khadse who is a Maratha. He also has with him Revenue, Relief & Rehabilitation, Agriculture and horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy development & fisheries and state excise.
This has happened despite considerable section of the Muslims in the state have voted for BJP and Shiv Sena. As per election commission 11% of Muslims in the state voted to BJP while 9% voted SS. In the parliamentary elections as well substantial Muslims voted BJP and SS.
Couple of week before assembly elections in the state Maharashtra Muslim Sangh (MMS), a federation of over 40 NGOs, had pledged support to the BJP and BJP had agreed to fulfill their demands if they are voted to power.
Reactions from Muslim BJP voters
Mr. A.V. Shaikh, a retired government servant from Akola said, “ I believed in Modiji’s line of ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’ and voted for a BJP candidate to seek a better option than Congress but by not including Muslim in the government I feel BJP and Devendra Fadnavis has cheated us”.
A social activist and advocate from Vidarbha, A R Khan said, “In a democratic country that has secularism in its preamble every party elected in the government must seek for development and uplifting of all communities. I had opted for BJP over parties thinking that it would not play vote bank politics but would work for development of all sections of the community.”
“I clearly do not understand why Fadnavis government has not looked for a Muslim face from its party supporters. Is there no capable Muslim BJP supporter in the state?” he questions.
Sajid Shaikh, a government employee in Andheri said, “I had chosen BJP over INC, NCP and MIM for its development agenda. But by not giving Muslim an opportunity in the government BJP is proving that Muslims cannot contribute to state’s development”.
Aggrieved with BJP’s non inclusion of Muslim in the government, Mr R. Ali, a contractor working in Vidarbha and Mumbai said, “I was always doubtful of BJP’s anti-Muslim agenda. I was distracted by my friends who had suggested me that BJP has changed and is no more communal. If it’s not communal then why not give ticket to Muslims during election? Why no ministry to Muslims? Do they need approval from RSS for doing that?”
Related:
Muslim leaders urge the new Maharashtra govt for adequate Muslim representation